Main Idea

How does the author support the main idea?

• By using emotional language only

• By providing relevant evidence, examples, logical reasoning, and analysis.

• By including irrelevant information

• By contradicting the main idea

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA Sometime in December of 1891, Dr. James Naismith was teaching gym at the YMCA College in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was raining, and Dr. Naismith was trying to keep his students active. He wanted them playing a rough game that would keep them moving. He didn't like a few ideas that were too rough. Then Naismith had his breakthrough. He wrote out the rules for a game with peach baskets fixed to ten-foot elevated tracks. Naismith's students played against one another, passing the ball around and shooting it into the peach baskets. Dribbling wasn't a part of the original game. Also it took a while to realize that the game would run more smoothly if the bottoms of the baskets were removed. But this game grew to be one of the most popular sports in America today. Can you guess which one?

• The most popular sport in America

• Dr. James Naismith's career in teaching

• The invention of Basketball

• How to get students active

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA

• Which fuel is best to use for your car

• Gasoline, diesel, and biodiesels area all fuels, but they have important differences in how they are made and used.

• The benefits of biodiesel

• How fuels change the way we drive

When we think of seaweed, we usually picture brown or green plants a foot or so in length. Seaweeds are also of other colors. Some are red. Some kinds grow to lengths of a hundred feet! These form giant seaweed forests, where many kinds of fish take shelter. What is the main idea?

• Why some seaweed grows so large

• What seaweed is like

• Why seaweed is red

Do you ever remember your dreams? You may not remember what you dream, but you probably dream every night—almost everyone does. Why do you have dreams? Scientists disagree on exactly why you dream. Some say it is your brain’s way of processing things. You learn a lot and have a lot of things happen to you, so while you sleep, your brain processes that information. Dreaming might be the way your brain makes sense of what happens to you. Some say that dreams are the way your brain solves problems. Suppose you are upset about something. Dreams may be a way for your brain to help you feel better. People may not agree on why you dream. But everyone agrees that dreaming is very important. You need to dream so that your brain is ready for the next day

• How to fall asleep

• Where to find a good bed

• How many hours of sleep you need

• Dreams

When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals. Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex. Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside. Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.

• Wild Animals in Art

• Hidden Prehistoric Paintings

• Exploring Caves Respectfully

• Determining the Age of French Caves

What is the main idea of the United Nations' role in global peacekeeping?

• To promote international cooperation and maintain peace and security.

• To control the economies of member countries.

• To replace national governments with a global government.

• To enforce cultural uniformity across nations.

Which of the following best describes the main idea of the Industrial Revolution's impact on society?

• It led to the decline of urban areas.

• It caused a decrease in technological advancements.

• It transformed economies and societies through industrialization.

• It resulted in the immediate end of child labor.

What is the main idea behind the concept of democracy?

• To concentrate power in the hands of a few.

• To ensure equal representation and participation of citizens.

• To establish a monarchy.

• To eliminate all forms of government.

Which statement best captures the main idea of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States?

• To maintain the status quo of racial segregation.

• To promote racial equality and end discrimination.

• To support the establishment of a new political party.

• To encourage emigration to other countries.